#3. What did Jesus Christ Teach About Requirements to Get to Heaven? You MUST Read This – You Might Be Surprised by the Answer (KJV)

December 23, 2025 | www.gospelofjesuschrist.blog | River Wilde

For most of you who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, you might feel that our good works are such an important part in determining if we make it into Heaven or not. Our churches teach things that we must do, such as paying tithing, attending church, even some churches teach about the importance of us doing Temple Work. It is almost as if each church has a set of boxes that we must check off in order to get to heaven. But is that what Jesus Christ taught us in the Bible? Let’s go there.

Let’s learn what the word Salvation means, as written in the bible.

Salvation, in its most basic sense, means deliverance or being saved from danger, loss, or harm. In ordinary usage, it can refer to rescue from any serious trouble or failure.​

Biblical / theological meaning

In Christian theology, salvation is God’s deliverance of a person from sin and its consequences.​ It especially refers to redemption from the guilt and power of sin and from eternal death, and the gift of eternal life and restored fellowship with God.

Simply stated, because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we have become “Saved” from sin, its consequences, and eternal death. He offers us Salvation.

In the Bible, Christ taught us more about this, and specifically how our salvation is received:

Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”​

You can see clearly from His teaching that salvation is a gift from God. We are saved through our faith, and not by any of our good works.

We can not “Earn our way into heaven! He specifically says that in this scripture. Let’s continue learning from the Bible.

Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”​

2 Timothy 1:9: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”

Some churches teach that we must earn our way into heaven, that we must do all that we can, (our works), and then the atonement becomes effective. NOT SO! Christ teaches otherwise. He states that your salvation is a gift, and that we are save through faith in the atoning sacrifice that He has completed for us. Let me share what Jesus said about this.

When Jesus hung on the cross, these were His last words: “It is finished” (John 19:30) This refers to the completion of His sacrificial work on the cross, fulfilling the atonement for sin. “The Atonement is FINISHED!”

This statement signifies the full accomplishment of redemption, as Christ’s one-time sacrifice satisfied God’s justice for humanity’s sins. The atonement was FINISHED. It doesn’t say, Mankind has to do all that they can first from their good works, and then it is finished. This was all that was needed. It was ENOUGH, Finished, Complete!

Jesus Christ completed all that was necessary for our salvation. HE saved us…We did not save us through our works. Because of what He did, we are saved, and will have eternal life… OUR RESPONSIBILITY is to have FAITH in His atonement. That is what He has asked us to do.

So, wait a minute. God desires that we have good works, right? So where do these good works come into play?

Jesus taught us about this. You will see that good works are a Fruit, and Not the Root of a tree (salvation). (We’ll learn more about our good works in tomorrow’s writing.)

Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:16-20 (KJV), “Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” Good works reveal the “good tree” of saving faith, much like fruit displays a tree’s health rather than causing it. Believers abide in Christ to bear such fruit (John 15:5, KJV).

Our good works are a result of our accepting the atonement of Jesus Christ and becoming “Born Again” as we learned in yesterday’s writings. Can you begin to see how it all ties together?

Christ did all that was necessary to atone for the sins of all mankind. His job is finished. But as we learned yesterday, even though the atonement is for all mankind, it is not forced upon anyone, for this would be against our free agency. In order for His atonement to become effective in our lives, we have to accept it first, beginning by having FAITH in this atonement.

Then, Christ has given us further insight as to what our responsibilities are to connecting with the atonement:

John 3:3 (KJV):

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Now, what did He mean, that we should be born again? Let’s go back to the scriptures to answer that.

Key KJV scriptures emphasize being born again as a spiritual rebirth through faith in Christ, repentance, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus introduces this concept directly to Nicodemus, explaining its necessity for entering God’s kingdom. These passages outline the process involving God’s Word, grace, and transformation.

Core Teaching

Jesus declares, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). He further explains, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5), pointing to cleansing from sin and spiritual renewal.​

Through Faith and Repentance

Peter instructs, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38), linking repentance and baptism to receiving the Spirit. Salvation comes “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

New Creation

Becoming born again makes one “a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This rebirth is “not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23).​

God’s Promise

God promises, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). Believers are “begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

Let me summarize this for you in easy steps:

We must first realize that we are sinners, and need the atonement of Jesus Christ to be forgiven for our sins. We can not make it to heaven on our own.

We accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and chose to follow Him.

Then, through prayer to our Father in Heaven, we repent of our sins, and strive to live a better life.

When we do this, God will give us the “Holy Ghost” or “Holy Spirit.”

Doing these things begins our transformation into being “Born Again.” Because of this, we desire to do good works. We choose to acknowledge this transformation by wanting to be Baptized. These are the fruits that we will desire to accomplish due to becoming born again.

A person will then see a noticeable transformation from being a person of sin, to becoming a member of “Christ’s Church,” and wanting to represent Jesus Christ in all that they do.

This is what is meant by being Born Again, and is the sole qualification in entering Heaven to live with Jesus Christ FOREVER.

That’s right! You can toss the checklist that your church has as “Requirements to enter into Heaven,” for they are just not true. Their list is to tie you to THE Church, rather than to Jesus Christ. You do not need ANY CHURCH, nor any church ordinance to qualify for entering heaven…ONLY to become Born Again.

Tithing? Christ taught in the New Testament that tithing was to be given freely to those in need, rather than required. It is a FRUIT of becoming Born Again, not a requirement for heaven.

Church attendance? This can be helpful to build your relationship with the Savior, but not a requirement to get to heaven, for it again is under the heading of our works.

Temple Worthiness and Attendance? I’m sorry to be the one that tells you, but Christ tore the temple veil when He was on the earth. With His atoning sacrifice, physical temples were no longer needed. (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45, Acts 17:24, Acts 7:48-49, Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25 and Luke 20:34-36, Ephesians 5:31-32). This is devastating for some people to hear, and realize that it is the truth. It was very difficult for me to process personally. I will tell you that we will all be together in heaven, just not having the mortal titles that we have on earth. I invite you to include God in your studies of this principle as taught in the Bible.

Any OTHER Good Works on Our Part? Not needed to make it into heaven. Remember this scripture from earlier?

Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”​

I can tell you with the utmost certainty that your options after you die are one of two “Judgments”:

            Heaven – For those who have been Born Again. All sins have been removed.

Lake of Fire – For those who refuse Christ’s Atonement, resulting in that person being held accountable for all of their sins. A person with sin can not dwell in the presence of God.

Tomorrow, I will show you the detail of these two judgments to help you understand the concepts.

So, let me conclude with this question? Where will you end up after you die? Will you be going to Heaven to live with Jesus Christ, or to the Lake of Fire to live with satan? If you have been Born Again, you should know right now that you will be going to Heaven.

I’ll see you tomorrow.